Ryan Giggs rolled back the years with a superb performance at Goodison Park today to help United take a point from a game the Champions will feel that might have won. It finished up 1-1; United had more or less complete control of the opening period without creating many clear cut goal-scoring chances.
However, on 22 minutes Ryan Giggs opened up the Toffees defence with a slide-rule pass to the feet of Darren Fletcher who took one touch before slotting the ball home through the legs of Tim Howard.
United played some nice football in the first-half and Giggs was at the heart of all that was good about the visitors’ performance. United fans have seen Giggs deployed in a variety of positions, but rarely has he looked so at home in the centre of midfield, his passing and first touch against Everton was exemplary.
Wayne Rooney had a half-chance to score but Everton's defence held firm. On-looking Reds' fans feared that United might pay for not extending their first-half lead. Those fears were fully justified because after the interval the home team had much more of the game, no doubt after a severe dressing down from David Moyes the Everton manager.
The Toffees pressure and possession eventually paid-off when they deservedly equalised after some poor defending by Rio Ferdinand, which eventually led to Marouane Fellaini scoring with a well directed header beyond Edwin van de Sar.
Ferdinand nearly made it an afternoon to forget when moments later he made a horrible attempted pass-back which played in Yakubu, but Van der Sar deflected the Nigerian's shot on to the post as it bounced to safety.
After the game, Ferguson launched an attack on referee Alan Wiley for failing to protect his players, but apart from a poor looking tackle by Phil Neville on Ronaldo, there really wasn't that much to complain about. Vidic was deservedly booked, but Rooney was wrongly cautioned in the second-half, not long after the former Everton star reacted to the home fans taunting by clutching his United badge on his shirt, not surprisingly Ferguson then substituted the United star who had not played well against his former club.
A draw was a fair result, despite Fergie's carping about Wiley. Too many United players failed to react to Everton's second-half revival. United fans will see the result as case of two dropped points rather than one gained given the Champions first-half domination, time will tell how costly this result will be.
Man of the match: Ryan Giggs.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Beckham to Milan - Escape to victory or a cynical marketing ploy?
When I heard that David Beckham is set to join Milan in January for two months, my first reaction was this was good news for both club and player. I still hold that view. However, not surprisingly the news has received a very mixed reaction from the media; many observers are sceptical of both Milan and Beckham's motives. Some say this is mainly about keeping Beckham's name in the spotlight, others have added that Milan are looking to cash-in on the name of the LA Galaxy star.
No matter what Beckham's detractors say, he remains a huge favourite with many England supporters and rightly so, he didn't deserve to be dropped by former manager Steve McClaren. The decision to axe Beckham was nothing more than a disgraceful publicity stunt. McClaren went pandering to the clowns in the media and they loved him for it, but the fans knew better. What's more, neither Shaun-Wright-Phillips nor Aaron Lennon have been totally convincing while playing for their country in Beckham's absence. Theo Walcott is new on the block and despite his recent goals he has much to prove, he lacks consistency and none of the players mentioned can cross a ball like Beckham.
As for Milan, they've been going backwards for a couple of seasons with their ageing squad; it is partly why they find themselves in the European backwater that is the UEFA Cup. It could be argued that Beckham's move is a bit like that awful 1981 POW football film, "Escape to Victory", or simply "Victory" as it was known in the USA.
The catchphrase for the film was "now is the time for heroes". The cast included Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles and Pelé. Former Ipswich Town stars Kevin Beattie and Paul Cooper stood-in for actors Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone, hilarious really. To take the analogy further, some of the Victory team members tried to escape at half-time, again a bit like Beckham leaving LA Galaxy at the season end...
While some will pour scorn on my not so serious comparison of Milan and Victory, there is a thread of truth in it as respected Times columnist Gabriele Marcotti has described Milan as 'galácticos lite', following the recent of addition of big stars names who are heading beyond their sell-by date, if somewhat prematurely, I refer to Ronaldo (the fat one) Ronaldinho and now Beckham. According to Marcotti, the arrival of Beckham et al is a part of Silvio Berlusconi's long-term vision to add glitz and glamour to the Milan mix...
Poking fun Milan and Berlusconi aside, you do wonder how well Beckham will fit into the Milan side, if selected. I really hope the Milan move works out well for Beck’s; he did himself no favours when he left United - it was handled very badly by his advisors, at least that is the fans' view of his transfer to Madrid. Since then I for one have mellowed about that episode and I really do wish him well because he has been a true professional. I also hope that Beckham goes to South Africa with England and plays some part in the World Cup Finals.
Beckham is a product of the once fabled, but now largely unproductive Manchester United youth system and like his former team-mates Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs he has been an absolute credit to the game.
No matter what Beckham's detractors say, he remains a huge favourite with many England supporters and rightly so, he didn't deserve to be dropped by former manager Steve McClaren. The decision to axe Beckham was nothing more than a disgraceful publicity stunt. McClaren went pandering to the clowns in the media and they loved him for it, but the fans knew better. What's more, neither Shaun-Wright-Phillips nor Aaron Lennon have been totally convincing while playing for their country in Beckham's absence. Theo Walcott is new on the block and despite his recent goals he has much to prove, he lacks consistency and none of the players mentioned can cross a ball like Beckham.
As for Milan, they've been going backwards for a couple of seasons with their ageing squad; it is partly why they find themselves in the European backwater that is the UEFA Cup. It could be argued that Beckham's move is a bit like that awful 1981 POW football film, "Escape to Victory", or simply "Victory" as it was known in the USA.
The catchphrase for the film was "now is the time for heroes". The cast included Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles and Pelé. Former Ipswich Town stars Kevin Beattie and Paul Cooper stood-in for actors Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone, hilarious really. To take the analogy further, some of the Victory team members tried to escape at half-time, again a bit like Beckham leaving LA Galaxy at the season end...
While some will pour scorn on my not so serious comparison of Milan and Victory, there is a thread of truth in it as respected Times columnist Gabriele Marcotti has described Milan as 'galácticos lite', following the recent of addition of big stars names who are heading beyond their sell-by date, if somewhat prematurely, I refer to Ronaldo (the fat one) Ronaldinho and now Beckham. According to Marcotti, the arrival of Beckham et al is a part of Silvio Berlusconi's long-term vision to add glitz and glamour to the Milan mix...
Poking fun Milan and Berlusconi aside, you do wonder how well Beckham will fit into the Milan side, if selected. I really hope the Milan move works out well for Beck’s; he did himself no favours when he left United - it was handled very badly by his advisors, at least that is the fans' view of his transfer to Madrid. Since then I for one have mellowed about that episode and I really do wish him well because he has been a true professional. I also hope that Beckham goes to South Africa with England and plays some part in the World Cup Finals.
Beckham is a product of the once fabled, but now largely unproductive Manchester United youth system and like his former team-mates Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs he has been an absolute credit to the game.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Reds cruise to Celtic win, but concerns grow over Ronaldo and Tevez..
Manchester United took a giant step forward towards the next phase of the Champions League at Old Trafford last night when cruising to a deserved three-nil win over Scottish champions Celtic.
The visitors played some good football at times and had the best scoring chances early on in what turned out to be a decent match, but Celtic were badly inhibited by the loss of key players. However, it was United who dominated possession and the Reds pressure was eventually rewarded with two disputed tap-in goals from new striker Dimitar Berbatov.
Wayne Rooney delivered the coup de grâce with another nice finish on 76 minutes to make it nine goals from ten seven games, but for a poor second-half decision by the linesman it would have been ten, but Rooney was adjudged to be offside, in point of fact it was the worst decision of the game by the officials.
It may seem a bit odd to be even suggesting this, given that United cruised to victory over Celtic and are starting to look like a real force again, but all does not look well when you scratch below the surface of selection issues and in particular concerning the future of two big stars names. I refer to Ronaldo and Tevez.
Going into the Celtic match Fergie had announced to the press that Ronaldo would likely be rested. Somewhat bizarrely the United manager reasoned that his former assistant Carlos Queiroz held the view that Ronaldo is not up to playing two games in a week. In his post-match interview Fergie revealed that Ronaldo had read about the decision to rest him in the newspapers, the Portuguese winger immediately asked his manager what he was talking about and demanded that he should play.
Fergie's revelation over this issue raises many questions. Clearly Fergie had not told Ronaldo of his decision to rest him before announcing the news to the media and why exactly did he use his former assistant as an excuse? Surely United's backroom staff know a lot more about Ronaldo's ability to play two games a week rather than the Portuguese who only see him every few weeks?
One cannot but help feel that Ferguson has revealed his not often seen soft-under belly over this Ronaldo selection issue. WE the fans and media hold the view that Ferguson is one tough son of a bitch, he is when the need arises, but he's human too and he finds it very hard to leave out star players, because Fergie's revelation effectively meant that Ronaldo had selected himself to play against Celtic.
We should be applauding the fact that Ronaldo wanted to play, that is if you believe the claptrap about Quieroz, I do not. Here's why.
Fergie has a massive problem to solve; that is how to accommodate all his big star names including Tevez, who isn't getting many games right now. The situation is very unfair on the Argentine, you cannot help but feel that this is partly down to he who shouts at Fergie the loudest as was the case with Ronaldo and presumably Rooney too who was dropped against Bolton recently. No one likes to be left out.
In theory all should be well at United right now, but you would not think so judging by the faces of Ronaldo and Tevez. We all know that Ronaldo will leave United; it's a matter of when and not if. At the same time, United fans will be delighted if we go on to win more silverware and then he is eventually sold, as long as it's not to City and for the right money.
The situation with Carlos Tevez is much more complicated. He has not signed yet and until that happens there must be a chance that a rival will do the right thing by acquiring a truly world class-second striker. Judging by the look on the face of Tevez when he came on against Celtic, he is starting to lose patience with his manager and you can totally understand that.
There is an argument that Tevez should have played more games for United recently, especially if we are going off form, but the team hasn't been selected purely on form of late because if it was Berbatov, despite his tap-ins, wouldn't be in the side.
The downside to Fergie's pecking order is that top players can become disillusioned as could be the case with Tevez.
United fans know and accept that we will eventually lose Ronaldo to Real Madrid, but losing Tevez too would be completely and totally unacceptable given the player really does want to stay if at all possible, at least that is the impression he has conveyed while on the pitch, face like a smacked backside apart.
There is an upside to the current situation as it could be argued that dropping Rooney recently gave him the kick up the derriere that in part led to this sudden goal-rush. Competition for places is no bad thing, as long as it's a fair contest...
Fergie, Fergie sort it out.
The visitors played some good football at times and had the best scoring chances early on in what turned out to be a decent match, but Celtic were badly inhibited by the loss of key players. However, it was United who dominated possession and the Reds pressure was eventually rewarded with two disputed tap-in goals from new striker Dimitar Berbatov.
Wayne Rooney delivered the coup de grâce with another nice finish on 76 minutes to make it nine goals from ten seven games, but for a poor second-half decision by the linesman it would have been ten, but Rooney was adjudged to be offside, in point of fact it was the worst decision of the game by the officials.
It may seem a bit odd to be even suggesting this, given that United cruised to victory over Celtic and are starting to look like a real force again, but all does not look well when you scratch below the surface of selection issues and in particular concerning the future of two big stars names. I refer to Ronaldo and Tevez.
Going into the Celtic match Fergie had announced to the press that Ronaldo would likely be rested. Somewhat bizarrely the United manager reasoned that his former assistant Carlos Queiroz held the view that Ronaldo is not up to playing two games in a week. In his post-match interview Fergie revealed that Ronaldo had read about the decision to rest him in the newspapers, the Portuguese winger immediately asked his manager what he was talking about and demanded that he should play.
Fergie's revelation over this issue raises many questions. Clearly Fergie had not told Ronaldo of his decision to rest him before announcing the news to the media and why exactly did he use his former assistant as an excuse? Surely United's backroom staff know a lot more about Ronaldo's ability to play two games a week rather than the Portuguese who only see him every few weeks?
One cannot but help feel that Ferguson has revealed his not often seen soft-under belly over this Ronaldo selection issue. WE the fans and media hold the view that Ferguson is one tough son of a bitch, he is when the need arises, but he's human too and he finds it very hard to leave out star players, because Fergie's revelation effectively meant that Ronaldo had selected himself to play against Celtic.
We should be applauding the fact that Ronaldo wanted to play, that is if you believe the claptrap about Quieroz, I do not. Here's why.
Fergie has a massive problem to solve; that is how to accommodate all his big star names including Tevez, who isn't getting many games right now. The situation is very unfair on the Argentine, you cannot help but feel that this is partly down to he who shouts at Fergie the loudest as was the case with Ronaldo and presumably Rooney too who was dropped against Bolton recently. No one likes to be left out.
In theory all should be well at United right now, but you would not think so judging by the faces of Ronaldo and Tevez. We all know that Ronaldo will leave United; it's a matter of when and not if. At the same time, United fans will be delighted if we go on to win more silverware and then he is eventually sold, as long as it's not to City and for the right money.
The situation with Carlos Tevez is much more complicated. He has not signed yet and until that happens there must be a chance that a rival will do the right thing by acquiring a truly world class-second striker. Judging by the look on the face of Tevez when he came on against Celtic, he is starting to lose patience with his manager and you can totally understand that.
There is an argument that Tevez should have played more games for United recently, especially if we are going off form, but the team hasn't been selected purely on form of late because if it was Berbatov, despite his tap-ins, wouldn't be in the side.
The downside to Fergie's pecking order is that top players can become disillusioned as could be the case with Tevez.
United fans know and accept that we will eventually lose Ronaldo to Real Madrid, but losing Tevez too would be completely and totally unacceptable given the player really does want to stay if at all possible, at least that is the impression he has conveyed while on the pitch, face like a smacked backside apart.
There is an upside to the current situation as it could be argued that dropping Rooney recently gave him the kick up the derriere that in part led to this sudden goal-rush. Competition for places is no bad thing, as long as it's a fair contest...
Fergie, Fergie sort it out.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Rooney ready to put Celtic to the sword...
The big games cannot come quickly enough for in-form Wayne Rooney who is currently on a hot run of scoring form that has seen him plunder eight goals from his last six games.
Tonight United welcome Celtic to Old Trafford in the Champions League, I won't use the worn out term "Battle of Britain" to describe this clash, because for one thing the Red Devils are not representing England. Matches between United and Celtic are usually quite entertaining, largely because both teams share the same attacking philosophy, but that is as far as it goes because we have little else in common with Celtic.
The notion that there's some sort of empathy between the two sets of fans has by and large been dispelled, this is due to off the field events before and after recent meetings, I refer to the not so not so noble art of fisty-cuffs when the two sets of supporters have clashed. So what has caused these recent dust-ups? According to reliably informed reports, United supporters took exception to Celtic fans "larging it" and especially their gross behaviour in the city centre during their last visit to Old Trafford. I will spare my readers the gory details... It is to be hoped that both ties with Celtic will be peaceful affairs, both on and off the pitch.
Ahead of the big game and following his latest United goal, Wayne Rooney, hinted that he cannot wait for the next game to come around. Rooney was talking to the media after United's win against West Brom last weekend and no less than three times he called upon the Red Army to crank-up the atmosphere when Celtic take on the champions.
The way he's playing right now Rooney is coming close to being unplayable, not surprisingly sections of the media have put this upturn in form down to Fabio Capello. While that point of view cannot be totally dismissed, the truth of the matter is that Rooney has been striving to improve his goals to chances ratio for a good while. Rooney had to overcome a summer virus too, so the truth of the matter is that there are many factors behind this very welcome goal avalanche.
IF Celtic pay too much attention to shackling Rooney, his partner-in-crime Ronaldo can be even more devastating and there's Carlos Tevez who will likely start the game. I'm expecting United to rattle in a few goals this evening. It should be a cracker.
Tonight United welcome Celtic to Old Trafford in the Champions League, I won't use the worn out term "Battle of Britain" to describe this clash, because for one thing the Red Devils are not representing England. Matches between United and Celtic are usually quite entertaining, largely because both teams share the same attacking philosophy, but that is as far as it goes because we have little else in common with Celtic.
The notion that there's some sort of empathy between the two sets of fans has by and large been dispelled, this is due to off the field events before and after recent meetings, I refer to the not so not so noble art of fisty-cuffs when the two sets of supporters have clashed. So what has caused these recent dust-ups? According to reliably informed reports, United supporters took exception to Celtic fans "larging it" and especially their gross behaviour in the city centre during their last visit to Old Trafford. I will spare my readers the gory details... It is to be hoped that both ties with Celtic will be peaceful affairs, both on and off the pitch.
Ahead of the big game and following his latest United goal, Wayne Rooney, hinted that he cannot wait for the next game to come around. Rooney was talking to the media after United's win against West Brom last weekend and no less than three times he called upon the Red Army to crank-up the atmosphere when Celtic take on the champions.
The way he's playing right now Rooney is coming close to being unplayable, not surprisingly sections of the media have put this upturn in form down to Fabio Capello. While that point of view cannot be totally dismissed, the truth of the matter is that Rooney has been striving to improve his goals to chances ratio for a good while. Rooney had to overcome a summer virus too, so the truth of the matter is that there are many factors behind this very welcome goal avalanche.
IF Celtic pay too much attention to shackling Rooney, his partner-in-crime Ronaldo can be even more devastating and there's Carlos Tevez who will likely start the game. I'm expecting United to rattle in a few goals this evening. It should be a cracker.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Can Rooney go on to become the ultimate penalty-box predator?
It's not often that you come out of an international break with any talking points other than that of players who have been injured while playing for their respective countries. That certainly hasn't been the case for those who like to discuss the form of Wayne Rooney, which of course includes those who believe that they have some sort of say in the matter, I'm not only referring to United fans but those in the media and the England fans too.
Rooney is currently hot, having notched eight goals from six games for club and country, of that number four came while on international duty. Fabio Capello had gone on record telling the United striker that he needed to improve his goal scoring record. There is no argument on this point as Rooney himself has talked of the need for greater consistency in front of goal.
For their part, United fans have been more than happy with the job that Rooney has done for the club so far. Goals aside, we could not ask for more from the little man, he gives his all in every game.
As ever and because Rooney plays for England, his form has turned into a national debate. One theory that has emerged over the last week is that Fergie has 'ruined Rooney'. Prior to the weekend clash with West Brom, Fergie took time out to talk about Rooney and at the same time have another go at Gary Lineker.
Fergie says that Rooney will only get better, it's all about maturing according to the United manager, but he also said that he maybe needs to work on the art of becoming a penalty area predator, like former England striker Gary Lineker. However, Fergie then added that Rooney will never be a goal hanger. One cannot escape the inference that the United manager was having a bit of a pop at the Match of the Day presenter. In fairness, Fergie had also paid Lineker a back-handed compliment regarding his fantastic goal-scoring achievements for club and country, a record which spanned over 500 games from which he netted a goal every two games.
My own view is that Rooney can improve and this week he's hinted that he's been listening to the advice of Fabio Capello, who has helped him with his positioning.
Taking advice is no bad thing, providing it’s coming from the right people and especially if Rooney wants to become more of a penalty-box predator.
Ferguson recently hinted that maybe Rooney needs to be a little more selfish if he wants to become a better striker, if that is the case and it would probably have to be over Fergie's dead body, but Rooney could a lot worse than talk to Lineker and study footage of the former England and Everton star in action.
A large part of being a top finisher is undoubtedly possessing the ability to be in the right place at the right time. Lineker scored four goals on two separate occasions for England. Outside of the penalty area, Lineker played his part for the team, but it was all about economy of effort, whereas Rooney charges up and down the park, the two players are in marked contrast in this respect and despite his present goal scoring run I haven't seen anything which suggests that Rooney has changed his game just yet.
I personally wouldn't want to see Rooney lose his all action style, it's what makes him the player that he is, but if he can learn something from studying other top players, then all well and good.
Another talking point which has been raised this week is the form of Emile Heskey. Following some good performances for England, there have been rumours of a move back to Liverpool. Heskey is a striker who has never really fulfilled his promise, he's very much a poor-man's Didier Drogba, but they are very alike in one respect, they both fall over too easily for big men, they also win a fair number of free-kicks, a point which was always recognised by Liverpool fans.
Regardless of opinions on Heskey, his new partnership with Rooney has raised the question of pairing the little and large strikers together. United fans have long been talking about the need to bring in a target-man, that man could have been Saha, but for his almost constant injuries.
Ferguson has on occasion signed players based on instinct; I'm referring to Eric Cantona, who was signed at a snip for around £1m. More recently we signed Berbatov for £30m, at present he isn't looking like a value for money signing. Time will tell whether Fergie will be proved right over Berbatov, it is too early to be making judgements, but at least the little and large combination for England has given Fergie something to think about, maybe Manucho will go on to do a similar job for United in this respect?
Rooney is currently hot, having notched eight goals from six games for club and country, of that number four came while on international duty. Fabio Capello had gone on record telling the United striker that he needed to improve his goal scoring record. There is no argument on this point as Rooney himself has talked of the need for greater consistency in front of goal.
For their part, United fans have been more than happy with the job that Rooney has done for the club so far. Goals aside, we could not ask for more from the little man, he gives his all in every game.
As ever and because Rooney plays for England, his form has turned into a national debate. One theory that has emerged over the last week is that Fergie has 'ruined Rooney'. Prior to the weekend clash with West Brom, Fergie took time out to talk about Rooney and at the same time have another go at Gary Lineker.
Fergie says that Rooney will only get better, it's all about maturing according to the United manager, but he also said that he maybe needs to work on the art of becoming a penalty area predator, like former England striker Gary Lineker. However, Fergie then added that Rooney will never be a goal hanger. One cannot escape the inference that the United manager was having a bit of a pop at the Match of the Day presenter. In fairness, Fergie had also paid Lineker a back-handed compliment regarding his fantastic goal-scoring achievements for club and country, a record which spanned over 500 games from which he netted a goal every two games.
My own view is that Rooney can improve and this week he's hinted that he's been listening to the advice of Fabio Capello, who has helped him with his positioning.
Taking advice is no bad thing, providing it’s coming from the right people and especially if Rooney wants to become more of a penalty-box predator.
Ferguson recently hinted that maybe Rooney needs to be a little more selfish if he wants to become a better striker, if that is the case and it would probably have to be over Fergie's dead body, but Rooney could a lot worse than talk to Lineker and study footage of the former England and Everton star in action.
A large part of being a top finisher is undoubtedly possessing the ability to be in the right place at the right time. Lineker scored four goals on two separate occasions for England. Outside of the penalty area, Lineker played his part for the team, but it was all about economy of effort, whereas Rooney charges up and down the park, the two players are in marked contrast in this respect and despite his present goal scoring run I haven't seen anything which suggests that Rooney has changed his game just yet.
I personally wouldn't want to see Rooney lose his all action style, it's what makes him the player that he is, but if he can learn something from studying other top players, then all well and good.
Another talking point which has been raised this week is the form of Emile Heskey. Following some good performances for England, there have been rumours of a move back to Liverpool. Heskey is a striker who has never really fulfilled his promise, he's very much a poor-man's Didier Drogba, but they are very alike in one respect, they both fall over too easily for big men, they also win a fair number of free-kicks, a point which was always recognised by Liverpool fans.
Regardless of opinions on Heskey, his new partnership with Rooney has raised the question of pairing the little and large strikers together. United fans have long been talking about the need to bring in a target-man, that man could have been Saha, but for his almost constant injuries.
Ferguson has on occasion signed players based on instinct; I'm referring to Eric Cantona, who was signed at a snip for around £1m. More recently we signed Berbatov for £30m, at present he isn't looking like a value for money signing. Time will tell whether Fergie will be proved right over Berbatov, it is too early to be making judgements, but at least the little and large combination for England has given Fergie something to think about, maybe Manucho will go on to do a similar job for United in this respect?
Friday, October 17, 2008
Wayne Rooney set to boing, boing Baggies?
In football there's rarely such a thing as a dead-cert and on Saturday it's eighth v ninth when West Brom visit the champions at Old Trafford. The Baggies away form isn't that bad having won last time out at 'Boro, but they've struggled to hit the back of the net, so I'm expecting nothing less than a United victory and with the very real danger of putting the 'kiss of death' on the outcome for the Champions I'm boldly predicting a thumping win.
Following an international break and with Celtic due to visit Old Trafford on Tuesday in the Champions League, the United manager has to decide who will start this match. Ryan Giggs has been pencilled in, but Hargreaves and Carrick will definitely miss this fixture due to injury. According to reports, the likelihood is that Carrick will be back before Hargreaves whose injuries must be starting to be a real source of frustration within Old Trafford.
As has been the case so far this season the biggest puzzler for Fergie concerns the forward line. Tevez and Anderson do not return to Carrington until Friday afternoon, chances are Fergie will leave both on the bench on Saturday and start the match with West Brom with Rooney and Berbatov up front. Rooney is on fire right now and he will be keen to add to his goal tally against the Baggies.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Media getting carried away over Rooney, Gerrard and Capello...
The nation (at least those of us who are actually still interested in following England) will no doubt be thinking about the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa today following another win for the Three Lions, this time against Belarus to make it four victories from four.
It comes as no surprise to hear the experts telling us that qualification from Group six looks increasingly as if it will be a formality for Capello's team. All well and good if that actually happens, but as ever, sections of the media are starting to get giddy when asking questions like "Are England world-beaters?”
It was the very same media that only a few weeks ago were questioning last night's heroes; Wayne Rooney (positional sense) and Steven Gerrard (one in ten for England). To be fair to the media, Rooney has added to the debate by informing us that, yes, Capello has helped him with his positioning. However, with the danger of being a kill-joy, from what I saw of Rooney against Belarus and as undoubtedly brilliant as his second goal was he hasn't changed a damn thing.
Against Belarus there were times when the former Everton striker was deep in England's own half. Rooney's biggest problem, for both England and United, hasn't been a lack of effort, or indeed his positional sense, it has consistently been his poor finishing, against Belarus it was exemplary.
I doubt Rooney will score many better goals for England, or indeed United, the way he out-foxed that defender with that dummy and then shook-off the attentions of the second defender with that subtle feint was pure genius. Fabio Capello, nor even Fergie can show or tell a striker like Rooney how to perform such trickery. Rooney's movement that led to his second goal of the night came from his instinctive imagination, split-second timing is critical as is the ability to keep cool at the vital killer moment when confronted with the goal at your mercy.
AS for Steven Gerrard - as well as he played against Belarus, the jury is very much out on this particular Scouser where England are concerned - one good game in ten for your country doesn't make you a top international footballer.
Gerrard knows this all too well, but if you believe the media they will have it that the Liverpool midfield star is both the problem and the potential solution behind England's inconsistency. Time waits for no player and IMO Capello needs to give Gerrard a serious boot up the backside - he needs to be given the hard-word, shape up or prepared to be left-out.
The coach and players do deserve a lot of credit, managing England has to be one of the most difficult jobs in the world, not least due to the over-inflated opinions our of true standing in the world game, because no matter how much the media try to convince us otherwise, the record shows that England have been a very average international team, arguably since 1970.
Capello has a great record, no one can deny that, but he's no miracle worker and as good a job as he's done so far, how can a team with serious ambitions of winning the World Cup rely upon the likes of Emile Heskey?
Chances are England will qualify for the World Cup Finals and by the time the squad arrives in South Africa, the competition will be "all but won" (that is, if you believe the media hype) but then reality will once again bite and England will be on the first plane home after the first serious knockout game.
One of the reasons that I actually hate these international breaks is the media's gross over-reaction, both good and bad, to anything and everything connected with England. Why cannot we as a nation keep our sense of perspective where the England team is concerned?
I know I bang on about the media but I blame them for raising the fans expectations too high, over the last forty years results have proven that we all should know better. England will probably go to South Africa, but we should go there in hope rather than with any sense of real expectation, to think otherwise would be delusional.
It comes as no surprise to hear the experts telling us that qualification from Group six looks increasingly as if it will be a formality for Capello's team. All well and good if that actually happens, but as ever, sections of the media are starting to get giddy when asking questions like "Are England world-beaters?”
It was the very same media that only a few weeks ago were questioning last night's heroes; Wayne Rooney (positional sense) and Steven Gerrard (one in ten for England). To be fair to the media, Rooney has added to the debate by informing us that, yes, Capello has helped him with his positioning. However, with the danger of being a kill-joy, from what I saw of Rooney against Belarus and as undoubtedly brilliant as his second goal was he hasn't changed a damn thing.
Against Belarus there were times when the former Everton striker was deep in England's own half. Rooney's biggest problem, for both England and United, hasn't been a lack of effort, or indeed his positional sense, it has consistently been his poor finishing, against Belarus it was exemplary.
I doubt Rooney will score many better goals for England, or indeed United, the way he out-foxed that defender with that dummy and then shook-off the attentions of the second defender with that subtle feint was pure genius. Fabio Capello, nor even Fergie can show or tell a striker like Rooney how to perform such trickery. Rooney's movement that led to his second goal of the night came from his instinctive imagination, split-second timing is critical as is the ability to keep cool at the vital killer moment when confronted with the goal at your mercy.
AS for Steven Gerrard - as well as he played against Belarus, the jury is very much out on this particular Scouser where England are concerned - one good game in ten for your country doesn't make you a top international footballer.
Gerrard knows this all too well, but if you believe the media they will have it that the Liverpool midfield star is both the problem and the potential solution behind England's inconsistency. Time waits for no player and IMO Capello needs to give Gerrard a serious boot up the backside - he needs to be given the hard-word, shape up or prepared to be left-out.
The coach and players do deserve a lot of credit, managing England has to be one of the most difficult jobs in the world, not least due to the over-inflated opinions our of true standing in the world game, because no matter how much the media try to convince us otherwise, the record shows that England have been a very average international team, arguably since 1970.
Capello has a great record, no one can deny that, but he's no miracle worker and as good a job as he's done so far, how can a team with serious ambitions of winning the World Cup rely upon the likes of Emile Heskey?
Chances are England will qualify for the World Cup Finals and by the time the squad arrives in South Africa, the competition will be "all but won" (that is, if you believe the media hype) but then reality will once again bite and England will be on the first plane home after the first serious knockout game.
One of the reasons that I actually hate these international breaks is the media's gross over-reaction, both good and bad, to anything and everything connected with England. Why cannot we as a nation keep our sense of perspective where the England team is concerned?
I know I bang on about the media but I blame them for raising the fans expectations too high, over the last forty years results have proven that we all should know better. England will probably go to South Africa, but we should go there in hope rather than with any sense of real expectation, to think otherwise would be delusional.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Is Manchester just a stepping stone for Brazilian stars?
Following another weekend with no Premier league action to feast upon, we had to make do with the best that International football could offer; obviously I'm not referring to England. The Wembley first-half was a snoozefest but Kazakhstan weren't that bad and were making a fist of it. The second-half improved with United's, Rooney and Rio getting among the goals. By way of an added bonus, it was nice to hear Ashley Cole getting grief; even it was from the Ingerlund Neanderthals. It was alslo nice to hear the same fans applauding Beckham.
At one time, it seemed to be just United players who got stick from the Wembley crowd, the last Red to suffer the Wembley fan wrath was Phil Neville, but more recently it's been 'Fat Frank' Lampard and now it's Ashley Cole's turn to be on the receiving end.
You do wonder how long it will be before the morons start booing Steven Gerrard, reason being he seems to pick and choose when he puts in a decent shift these days for England - when was his last decent game for the Three Lions?
On Saturday evening I took in the Argentina vs. Uruguay game from Buenos Aires, it finished up 2-1 to Carlos Tevez and Co. It was a hard fought contest and that's putting it mildly as both teams were putting the boot-in. The pace of the game was frantic which didn't come as any surprise given Argentina were desperate for a win. Overall it was a good contest and one that gave the punters a fair degree of value for money.
On Sunday night I was busily flicking between three different TV channels, early on each time I tuned into the Venezuela vs. Brazil match it coincided with the Brazilians scoring another goal. The match ended in a marvellous four-nil thumping win for Dunga's team. Watching this game got me thinking how fortunate rival's Manchester City are right now, given they had two players on view. Elano was signed by Sven and Robinho only came to City largely because Chelsea badly screwed things up with their heavy handed pursuit of the Brazilian winger. Will Robinho stay with City, given that he's gone on record stating that wanted to join Chelsea and Big Phil Scolari?
From a tactical point of view, watching Robinho is interesting, I was listening to a radio commentary on City recently and the summariser commented that Robinho drifts in and out of the game too much - the inference was clear, when City are defending he's a passenger.
I'm also wondering if Robinho is all right foot, this struck me last night when instead of using his left he switched onto his right foot for what was an extremely well taken goal, but nonetheless it's something to look out for as I do not watch Robinho that often. Over time, you might well see fullbacks pushing the winger down left the flank, because he's deadly once he comes inside onto what looks like his favoured right foot.
City also have another brilliant Brazilian in Jo, the striker, who like team-mate Elano was signed from Russia. Until recently we didn't see that many South Americans playing in England and of course United currently have Anderson, Possebon and the two Da Silva brothers on the club's books, with talk that more are on their way...
It remains to be seen where all these Brazilian players will end up playing in a few seasons; Spain must be a likely destination, given the climate. For now though, United and City fans can only dream about what may lie ahead with such talented players playing for both clubs.
Hopefully, some of these fabulous players will lay down some roots and hang around for a long time so that Manchester public see them blossom and reach their full potential in the rainy city.
At one time, it seemed to be just United players who got stick from the Wembley crowd, the last Red to suffer the Wembley fan wrath was Phil Neville, but more recently it's been 'Fat Frank' Lampard and now it's Ashley Cole's turn to be on the receiving end.
You do wonder how long it will be before the morons start booing Steven Gerrard, reason being he seems to pick and choose when he puts in a decent shift these days for England - when was his last decent game for the Three Lions?
On Saturday evening I took in the Argentina vs. Uruguay game from Buenos Aires, it finished up 2-1 to Carlos Tevez and Co. It was a hard fought contest and that's putting it mildly as both teams were putting the boot-in. The pace of the game was frantic which didn't come as any surprise given Argentina were desperate for a win. Overall it was a good contest and one that gave the punters a fair degree of value for money.
On Sunday night I was busily flicking between three different TV channels, early on each time I tuned into the Venezuela vs. Brazil match it coincided with the Brazilians scoring another goal. The match ended in a marvellous four-nil thumping win for Dunga's team. Watching this game got me thinking how fortunate rival's Manchester City are right now, given they had two players on view. Elano was signed by Sven and Robinho only came to City largely because Chelsea badly screwed things up with their heavy handed pursuit of the Brazilian winger. Will Robinho stay with City, given that he's gone on record stating that wanted to join Chelsea and Big Phil Scolari?
From a tactical point of view, watching Robinho is interesting, I was listening to a radio commentary on City recently and the summariser commented that Robinho drifts in and out of the game too much - the inference was clear, when City are defending he's a passenger.
I'm also wondering if Robinho is all right foot, this struck me last night when instead of using his left he switched onto his right foot for what was an extremely well taken goal, but nonetheless it's something to look out for as I do not watch Robinho that often. Over time, you might well see fullbacks pushing the winger down left the flank, because he's deadly once he comes inside onto what looks like his favoured right foot.
City also have another brilliant Brazilian in Jo, the striker, who like team-mate Elano was signed from Russia. Until recently we didn't see that many South Americans playing in England and of course United currently have Anderson, Possebon and the two Da Silva brothers on the club's books, with talk that more are on their way...
It remains to be seen where all these Brazilian players will end up playing in a few seasons; Spain must be a likely destination, given the climate. For now though, United and City fans can only dream about what may lie ahead with such talented players playing for both clubs.
Hopefully, some of these fabulous players will lay down some roots and hang around for a long time so that Manchester public see them blossom and reach their full potential in the rainy city.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
